This crew from Santa Rosa, California have what strikes me as a relentless, dark take on the ever influential US hardcore sound of the early 1980s. Sort of puts me in mind of a weird hybrid of Rollins era Black Flag, Drive Like Jehu and the Jesus Lizard . Only fed through a meat grinder of serious crust-lite.

It’s a rapid one-two to the physiognomy that’s punishing, obnoxious AND compelling in equal measure. There’s something overtly sinister about this that specifically put me in mind of a nightmarish alternate reality, where I find myself blundering through a pitch black maze, being stalked by gigantic irradiated insects. The drums are relentless, the vocals are riding a peak between panic and outright mania. The guitars kind of put me in mind of some of Converge’s more straightforward work. It all sounds as evil as fuck.

It’s pretty short though, this. Blink and you’ll miss it. But double thumbs up, as I hate time wasting and unnecessary navel gazing when it comes to music. Definitely not suitable for mouth-breathers.

Tony of Nurgle is a true child of the North, currently living in exile in Croydon, South East London. He used to co-run a specialist record store in Manchester (Roadkill Records), and also spent a couple of years as a promoter, and put on shows for the likes of Leatherface, the Loved Ones, Lucero, Minus The Bear, These Arms Are Snakes, Spy vs Spy, Latterman etc. He also spent several years DJing at shady rock clubs in Manchester, and started the infamous Thursday night “punk room” at Jilly’s Rockworld. Also responsible for Middle Finger Response, and collaborated with a couple of friends on a monthly night called Refuse to Lose, which will still occasionally reunite the original DJ line-up – hopefully in the not too distant future.
Apart from that, it’s all bitterness and a jaundiced view of human nature, rarely skateboarding, often reading books with maps in the front.